“But there are conservative Republicans who voted for Barack Obama, and other conservatives who may not have voted for him, but who are quick to see in various pragmatic moves of his since taking office an indication that he is not an extremist.”
This writer is living in LaLa Land.
Deanna, understand that Thomas Sowell, the writer, is saying that those “quick to see in various pragmatic moves of his since taking office an indication that [Obama] is not an extremist” are wrong. Sowell goes on to point out that Hitler and Stalin were pragmatists, too, and that pragmatism doesn’t tell one anything about extremism. In other words, the writer isn’t saying that Obama is not an extremist — he’s saying that people who think that because Obama is a pragmatist that he’s therefore not an extremist, are very much mistaken.